Low-trans fats for confectionery and bakery fat compositions

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a process for the production of a fat composition for confectionery or baking applications. According to this process, a starting fat composition containing palm oil or a palm oil fraction and having the following composition: (1) a glyceride composition with—a S 2 U content between 47 and 75 wt. %,—a SU 2 +U 3  content &lt;40 wt %. %,—a S 3  content between 1 and 15 wt. %,—a diglyceride content of 3 to 12 wt. %, the glyceride contents being expressed as wt. % with respect to the total amnount of di- and triglycerides in which S means a saturated fatty acid with A hydrocarbon chain length of 14-24 carbon atoms and U means unsaturated fatty acid with a hydrocarbon chain length of 14-24 carbon atoms and (2) a total content of unsaturated fatty acids of less than 55 wt. %, preferably less than 50 wt. %, more preferably less than 48 wt. %, is subjected to a catalytic hydrogenation so as to obtain a first fat with a trans fatty acid content &lt;wt. %, preferably &lt;10 wt. %, most preferably &lt;5 wt. % and an increase of C18-0 of less than 1 wt. %, preferably less than 0.7 wt. %, more preferably less than 0.4 wt. %. This first fat is incorporated in the fat composition.

The present invention relates to a process for producing a fatcomposition suitable for use as confectionery fat or as bakery fat, asdescribed in the preamble of the first claim, to the fat composition assuch and to the use of the fat composition in several applications suchas confectionery and filling fats, in water-in-oil emulsions and indoughs.

1. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1.1. Filling Fats and Cream Fats.

A first important application area of confectionery fats is theso-called filling and cream fats. Filling and cream fats are used forthe production of for example soft centres for pralines or confectionerybars or for creams used in or on biscuits or wafers. To be suitable foruse as a cream and/or filling fat, it is important that the fat hasspecific properties such as good melting properties in the mouth, goodcreaminess as well as a stable crystal structure. Several types of fatscapable of providing these properties are known in the art.

A first class of fats suitable for use as filling and/or cream fatsincludes the so-called lauric fats. The lauric fats are derived fromcoconut oil or palm kernel oil and contain a high amount of lauric andmyristic acid. By subjecting these lauric fats to a fractionation and/ora hydrogenation reaction, a lauric fat with a steep SFC-profile can beobtained, i.e. a lauric fat of which the solid fat content (SFC) as afunction of temperature is high at room temperature, whereas at bodytemperature the solid fat content is low and the fat is completelymolten. This sharp transition from solid to liquid gives a coolsensation in the mouth. Besides showing a steep SFC-profile, lauric fatsshow a quick solidification, which is an advantage when used in fillingsand creams. Although they are frequently applied in practise, laurictype fats have a number of disadvantages, a major disadvantage being therisk to saponification of the lauric acid upon ageing, involving theoccurrence of a bad taste. Another disadvantage of lauric fats is theirhigh saturated fatty acid content, often over 80%, which is consideredan important nutritional disadvantage.

A second class of cool melting filling and cream fats is based onfractionated palm oil. Palm oil as such shows a rather flat SFC-curvewith a SFC at 20° C. of only 25%, while at 35° C. the SFC is 6%. Bysubjecting palm oil to a fractionation process a product with steepSFC-profile can be obtained. Fractionation of palm oil is carried out bycooling palm oil to a certain temperature, until a liquid phasecontaining triglycerides with a the lower melting point and a solidphase containing triglycerides with a higher melting point, is obtained.Reduction of the tailing effect of the SFC curve is achieved by removingthe high melting part, which mainly consists of trisaturatedtriglycerides like tripalmitine. Fats associated with this tailing causea waxy feeling in the mouth upon eating. In a next stage, throughremoval of the part with the lower melting temperature, which mainlycomprises tri- or di-unsaturated triglycerides like tri-oleine or1-palmitic 2-3-oleic triglycerides, the SFC at room temperature isincreased. The fraction remaining after removal of the higher and lowermelting part of the palm oil is commonly indicated by the name PMF (palmmid fraction).

The most important advantages of PMF-based filling and cream fats aretheir non-lauric nature, the lower content of saturated fatty acids, thefresh melting sensation upon eating and the fact that PMF is anon-hydrogenated fat. A major disadvantage of PMF however resides in therather long and laborious fractionation process involved, together withthe rather low production yields, which renders the product expensive:starting from palm oil only 25-30% of PMF is obtained. The yields ofhard PMF obtained via double fractionation are even lower. A furtherdisadvantage is the slow solidification rate of PMF, which necessitatesin the confectionery plant the use of devices with high coolingcapacities. Besides this, PMF based fats show a risk tore-crystallisation, causing “graininess” of the final product whenstored for some time, in particular in case no tempering is applied.

A third type of filling and cream fats is based on hydrogenated liquidoils or hydrogenated olein fractions. This type of fat compositions ischaracterised by a good creaminess and good melting properties, althoughthey may show less cooling sensation in the mouth, which is typical forthe two previous types of fat compositions. Products containing thesefats show a quick solidification and a stable texture. In addition tothis, hydrogenated liquid oils and olein fractions are less expensivecompared to the former products since their raw materials are largelyavailable and their processing is less complicated as compared to palmoil fractionation. The presence of trans fatty acids entails theadvantage of improving the crystallisation rate. The big disadvantage ofhydrogenated liquid oils and olein fractions however is their too highcontent of trans fatty acids (TFA), which is a health concern ofincreasing importance. In fact, trans fatty acids are unsaturated fattyacids. However, they have undesirable effects comparable to or evenworse than saturated fatty acids (SFA). This is why there is an interestto not only control the SFA level of a fat composition, but to controlalso the sum of the TFA and SFA levels. To get products with steepSFC-profiles, the hydrogenation reaction is mostly carried out in thepresence of a trans-specific catalyst, for example S-poisonedNi-catalysts.

From the above, it will become clear that there is a need to a fatcomposition suitable for use as a confectionery fat or baking fat and toa method for producing such a fat composition. There is a need to a fatcomposition which preferably is non-lauric, which is characterised by agood melting in the mouth without involving waxiness, which shows asufficiently high crystallisation rate and has an interestingnutritional profile, which means that the composition should have a lowcontent of both saturated and trans fatty acids. Furthermore it is ofinterest that the fat composition may be produced at an acceptable cost.

From EP-A-547.651 it is known to use a blend of (i) a non lauric fat, inparticular a mid-fraction obtained from wet fractionation of hardenedsoybean oil containing fat mixtures; and (ii) a liquid, trans-hardenedhigh stability oil, in particular olein fractions obtainable from wetfractionation of hardened soybean oil containing fat mixtures. Thereto,combinations of soybeanoil and palm oil olein are subjected to atrans-selective hydrogenation reaction. In the wet fractionationpreferably aceton is used as a solvent, for the trans-selectivehydrogenation a sulphided Ni-catalyst is found very suitable. The blendsof mid-fractions and olein-fractions of such trans-hydrogenatedcombinations give filling fats with a minimised waxiness, a steepmelting curve and, a steep SFC-profile with N20>40% and N30<8%, and goodmouthfeel. However, the trans fatty acid content of these fatcomposition ranges from 35 to 45%, which is too high.

1.2. Coating Fats and Hard Centre Fats.

Besides the above discussed application of confectionery fats infillings and creams, there is a second important application area forconfectionery fats of a harder type in hard centres and in confectionerycoatings and tablets. These include the so called hard butters. Hardcentres is understood to designate confectionery centres with a firmtexture, that are usually produced by extrusion. Hard butters arecharacterised by a steep SFC-profile: they have a high solid fat contentand are hard at room temperature. At body temperature they melt andtheir solid fat content becomes negligible. The SFC profile of theseconfectionery fats is similar to that of cocoa butter, which is thetraditional chocolate fat.

Over the years, three main classes of hard butters have been developedfor use in coatings or tablets including (i) lauric cocoa buttersubstitutes, (ii) cocoa butter equivalents (CBE) containing palm oilfractions combined with so-called wild fats like illipe or shea fat, and(iii) non-lauric cocoa butter replacers (NL-CBR) based on trans-specifichydrogenated liquid oils or liquid fractions. These three classes ofcocoa butter alternatives correspond to the three classes of fillingfats described above.

In general, fillings and creams will be softer than tablets andcoatings. The reasons for the higher softness of fillings and creamsresides in the higher fat content of these products as compared totablets and coatings and in the softer nature of the fats containedtherein i.e. the lower SFC at room temperature. Both for filling andcream fats and for coating fats it is important to have a steepSFC-profile, which means that at room temperature the SFC should besufficiently high, whereas at body temperature the SFC should be low, inorder to avoid a “waxy” mouthfeel. This explains the similar approachused in the production of filling/cream fats and the so-called hardbutters.

Palm fractions used for CBE are typically obtained by wet fractionation,which gives a PMF of better quality as compared to PMF obtained from dryor detergent fractionation, the wet fractionation process however beingthe more expensive one. In the wet fractionation process use is made ofacetone, hexane or any other suitable solvent. The wet fractionationprocess guarantees a sharp fractionation, with an efficient removal oflow melting triglycerides like POO (P=Palmitic acid; O=Oleic acid) andhigh melting triglycerides like PPP. The wet fractionation is also anefficient process for removing diglycerides from the palm mid fraction,which are to be avoided in CBE products. It is important to mention herethat CBEs differ from non-lauric CBR and lauric cocoa butter substitutesin that they are a tempering type of fat, similar to natural cocoabutter. Tempering is a process step in which a molten chocolate mixtureis subjected to a temperature conditioning process, in particular themolten chocolate mixture is subjected to a process involving cooling andheating, with the aim of stimulating and maximising crystallisation ofthe fat in a stable crystalline form.

The production of non-lauric CBR is described by W. Soon in “Specialtyfats versus Cocoa Butter” page 189-192. According to W. Soon, liquidoils like soybean oil, rapeseed oil and sunflower oil are suitable rawmaterials for a hydrogenation process, as well as liquid fractions likehighly fractionated palm olein (iodine value >68). However, according toW. Soon, care needs to be taken to carry out the hydrogenation processin such a way as to minimise the production of trisaturatedtriglycerides (SSS where S=Saturated), as these have a high meltingpoint and induce waxiness. This may be achieved by appropriate selectionof the catalyst. Instead of using a conventional catalyst, W. Soonadvises to carry out the hydrogenation reaction in the presence of asulphur poisoned nickel catalyst as this promotes the formation oftrans-isomers, which give a steep SFC-profile, formation of SSS isomersbeing minimised. To produce non-lauric CBR based on palm oil, it isadvisable to use as a starting material a palm olein the PPP and PPO/POPcontent of which is as low as possible. PPP is a trisaturated fatty acidthat is naturally present in palm oil. With PPO and POP saturation ofone single fatty acid suffices to build trisaturated fatty acids.

The effect of using a sulphur poisoned Ni-catalyst in a hydrogenationreaction of palm olein in stead of a traditional non trans specificNi-catalyst on palm olein has been described by H. Mori in“Crystallisation and polymorphism of fats and fatty acids” pg 430-431.According to Mori when using a trans specific catalyst, a confectionaryfat with a sharp melting curve is obtained, which is not the case whenusing conventional hydrogenation catalyst.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,205,095 relates to a method for the production of cocoabutter substitutes, according to which a palm mid fraction is subjectedto a catalytic hydrogenation reaction in the presence of a nickel,platinum or palladium catalyst. The purpose of the hydrogenationreaction is to extend the possibilities of blending PMF with cacaobutter by removing triglycerides containing more than one unsaturatedfatty acid (SU₂ and U₃) as much as possible and by convertingpolyunsaturated hydrocarbon chains of the fatty acids intomono-unsaturated hydrocarbon chains, thereby reducing the iodine valueto 38-45, the linoleic acid content to below 2% and achieving a fatcomposition with a melting point of between 33-36° C. The cocoa buttersubstitutes disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,205,095 are meant to be used inchocolate products like tablets or coatings.

From U.S. Pat. No. 3.686.240 a process is known for producing avegetable fat product which is suitable for replacing at least part ofcocoa butter in chocolate, the properties of the vegetable fat productbeing similar to those of cocoa butter. According U.S. Pat. No.3,686,240 this vegetable fat product is obtained by subjecting a palmoil middle melting point fraction (PMF) to a hardening process throughhydrogenation of the fraction. The fractionation and hydrogenationprocess are carried out so as to become a fat which upon blending withnatural cocoa butter should not soften or get a lower melting point andthus shows full compatibility with cocoa butter. The full compatibilitywith cocoa butter implies that the product obtained with this process isa tempering type of fat. It is further explained that the palm midfraction should be prepared by solvent fractionation using a specificsolvent.

1.3. Caramel.

A third kind of application of fats in the confectionery area is theiruse in caramel. Caramel is understood to include both high boiling andsoft caramels. Fats give a certain consistency to the caramel, theycontrol chewiness and reduce stickiness. In caramels, traditionallyhydrogenated liquid oils such as hydrogenated soybean oil orhydrogenated rapeseedoil are used. Lauric fats like hydrogenatedpalmkernel or hydrogenated coconutoil can also be used. Because of thetoo high content of trans fatty acids or saturated fatty acids, there isa need for alternatives having a low trans fatty acid content, showingat the same time a similar melting profile and which may be produced atan acceptable cost for this application as well.

1.4. Margarine and Bakery Products.

Next to the application of fats in confectionery, there is an importantuse of fats in the preparation of baked goods. Fats employed in bakerydough production may contain high amounts of trans fatty acids, as theyare often obtained by partial hydrogenation of liquid oils likesoybeanoil, rapeseed oil, sunflowerseedoil, etc. These oils are popular,as they are available in large quantities at attractive prices, andthrough hydrogenation of the oils a whole range of fats can be producedwith different SFC-profiles depending on the texture of the dough onewants to obtain. Hydrogenation not only gives plasticity to the product,but it also increases the stability of the oil. The problem with theseliquid oils is however that in the course of the hydrogenation, the highamounts of unsaturated fatty acids present in the raw material, easilyisomerise to trans fatty acids. Although these fatty acids provideadditional functionality to the fat composition, for example increasedcrystallisation speed, they are unwanted because of their adverse healtheffect.

Fats are employed in baking applications as a shortening or asmargarine. A shortening can be defined as a functional plastic solid fatprepared by carefully cooling, plasticizing and tempering a blend ofmolten fats and oils. Margarines relate to a water-in-oil emulsion.Margarines and shortenings have an important functionality in baking:they contribute to the quality of the finished product by imparting acreamy texture and rich flavour, tenderness and uniform aeration formoisture retention and size expansion.

2. OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a fat compositionfor use as a confectionery fat, which is non-lauric, which ischaracterised by a steep SFC-profile, which shows a good melting in themouth without involving waxiness and a sufficiently high crystallisationspeed, which has an interesting nutritional profile, i.e. has a lowcontent of trans fatty acids and a sufficiently low content of saturatedfatty acids, and which may be produced at an acceptable cost, withrespect to raw material cost, process cost, yield, etc.

Another object of this invention is to provide a fat composition whichis suitable for use in fillings and in creams and a fat composition foruse in caramel, to replace fats containing high levels of trans fattyacids or saturated fatty acids.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a fatcomposition which is suitable for use in confectionery centres,confectionery coatings and tablets, the fat composition being suitableto fully or partially replace fats with a high trans fatty acid content,while maintaining a steep SFC-profile without creating waxines, wherebythe confectionery product can be prepared without necessitatingtempering step.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a fatcomposition having a low content of trans fatty acids, the fatcomposition being suitable for use in the preparation of bakery doughsand baked products

3. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

We have now found that a fat composition suitable for use asconfectionery fat or as bakery fat, can be obtained subjecting astarting fat composition containing a palm oil or a palm oil fraction toa catalytic hydrogenation reaction as described in the characterisingpart of the first claim.

The starting fat composition is characterised by

(1) a glyceride composition with

-   -   a S₂U content between 47 and 75 wt. %    -   a SU₂+U₃ content <40 wt. %    -   a S₃ content between 1 and 15 wt. %    -   a diglyceride content of 3 to 12 wt. %    -   the glyceride contents being expressed as wt. % with respect to        the total amount of di-and triglycerides

(2) and a total content of unsaturated fatty acids of less than 55 wt.%, preferably less than 50 wt. %, more preferably less than 48 wt. %.

The starting fat composition is subjected to a catalytic hydrogenationuntil a hydrogenated first fat is obtained which is characterised by atrans fatty acid (TFA) content of less than 15 wt. %, preferably lessthan 10 wt. %, more preferably less than 5 wt. %, and by an increase ofsaturated Cl 8 fatty acids of less than 1 wt. %, preferably less than0.7 wt. %, more preferably less than 0.4 wt. %. The hydrogenated firstfat is incorporated in the fat composition. The amount of the first fatincorporated in the fat composition may vary within wide ranges and mayeven be 100 wt. %.

In the above, S means saturated fatty acid with a hydrocarbon chainlength of 14-24 carbon atoms, and U means unsaturated fatty acid with ahydrocarbon chain length of 14-24 carbon atoms.

As a starting fat composition preferably use is made of a fatcomposition containing palm oil, a palm oil fraction, or blendscontaining high amounts of palm oil based fats, preferably >70 wt. %.Suitable starting compositions include middle fractions obtained fromthe fractionation of palm oil.

Starting fat compositions of particular interest for use inconfectionery and bakery fats are characterised by

(1) a triglyceride composition with

-   -   a S₂U content of between 50-70 wt. %, preferably 53-65 wt. %    -   a SU₂+U₃ content of between 15-35 wt. %, preferably 20-32 wt .%    -   a S₃ content of between 1.5 and 12 wt.%, preferably 2-10 wt. %,        most preferably 2.5-7 wt. %

(2) and a total content of unsaturated fatty acids of <55 wt. %,preferably <50 wt. %, more preferably <48 wt. %.

In the present invention it is preferred to keep the content ofunsaturated fatty acids in the starting material as low as possible,with the aim of reducing the risk to the formation of trans fatty acidsin the course of the hydrogenation reaction.

In case use is made of a palm oil fraction, this fraction will mostlyshow a steeper SFC-curve than palm oil. Palm oil as such is a suitableraw material for the fractionation. However when envisaging the use inconfectionery or bakery fats, the crystallisation rate of the palm oilfraction has been found to be still too slow. The inventor has foundthat the crystallisation rate may be improved and a product with an evensteeper SFC may be obtained, provided the palm fraction is subjected toa hydrogenation reaction under the conditions described above. In thatway a first fat with the above-described properties may be obtained.

The starting fat composition used to obtain the first fat with the abovedescribed method of this invention, has a higher content of high meltingtriglycerides, low melting triglycerides and diglycerides as compared toa traditional high quality PMF. In practise this means that the processof the present invention allows producing first fats suitable for use asconfectionery fat or as bakery fat out of a cheap starting fat. Toobtain a fat suitable for use as a confectionery or baking fat, there isthus no need to specifically select a high quality palm oil or palm oilmid fraction PMF. Moreover, in the process of this invention there is noneed to use as a starting fat composition a palm oil fraction which hasbeen subjected to a fractionation process implying severe requirementsin terms of clean separation of olein and stearin fractions. In fact, inthe process of this invention it is preferred to use a starting fatcomposition comprising a palm oil fraction obtained through dryfractionation in stead of wet fractionation, although the latter isknown to have a better separation efficiency. All these factorscontribute in obtaining a first fat with the desired properties for usein confectionery and bakery fats, at an acceptable cost. Besides thepalm oil fraction, the starting fat composition may comprise fats or fatfractions of other origin, provided the glyceride composition of thecharacterising part of claim 1 is met.

The fact that a fat composition with the above-described composition andproperties may be obtained is surprising in view of the teaching by W.Soon. According to this teaching a fat composition containing a highamount of SU₂ (eg. POO) in combination with a certain amount of S₃ and ahigh amount of S₂U (eg. POP/PPO), as is the case with the starting fatcomposition used in the method of this invention, easily builds highmelting triglycerides upon hydrogenation, leading to a product showingwaxiness. The inventor has now found that contrary to the teaching of W.Soon, when starting from a fat composition having the glyceridecomposition as described in the preamble of claim 1 (i.e. a significantamount of SU₂ and a high amount of S₂U), a first fat with the desiredproperties may be obtained: this means a first fat may be obtained whichis characterised by a steep SFC-profile, which shows a good melting inthe mouth without involving waxiness, combined with a sufficiently highcrystallisation speed, which has an interesting nutritional profile,i.e. has a low content of trans fatty acids and a sufficiently lowcontent of saturated fatty acids, and which may be produced at anacceptable cost, with respect to raw material cost, process cost, yield,etc.

This first fat is obtained by subjecting the starting fat composition toa very slight hydrogenation. It has been found that the risk to buildingof trisaturated triglycerides upon hydrogenation is negligible. Thisresult was found, irrespective of the fact whether the hydrogenationreaction was carried out in the presence of a trans specific or anon-trans specific hydrogenation catalyst.

The inventor has also observed that in the course of the hydrogenationreaction, the formation of trans fatty acids remained within acceptablelimits, often negligible.

The hydrogenation reaction will preferably be continued until a productis obtained with an iodine value that differs from the iodine value ofthe product before hydrogenation by a value of less than 10, preferablyless than 5.

The catalyst used in the hydrogenation reaction of this invention may beany hydrogenation catalyst known to the man skilled in the art, forexample a nickel, platinum or palladium based catalyst. Preferablyhowever use is made of a Ni-containing hydrogenation catalyst, which isnot trans-specific or sulphur poisoned, to limit the formation of transfatty acids in the course of the hydrogenation reaction as much aspossible. Contrary to what could be expected from the teaching of W.Soon and H. Mori, the use of non trans specific catalyst does not resultin less steep SFC-profiles, higher melting points or stronger waxiness,provided the raw material starting fat composition which is subjected tothe hydrogenation has the above described glyceride composition.

It is furthermore preferred to carry out the hydrogenation reaction at atemperature of between 160-225° C., as in this range the hydrogenationrate is acceptable, the risk to the formation of trans fatty acids andsaturated fatty acids being limited.

The first fat obtainable with the process of this invention ischaracterised by a steep SFC-profile. In fact the difference in SFCvalue at 20° C. and 35° C. is higher than 35%, preferably more than 40%,the SFC being measured according to IUPAC method 2.150 a.

The first fat obtainable with the process of this invention is furthercharacterised by a crystallisation time at 15° C. of less than 15′, toreach 50% of the SFC measured at 15° C.

The first fat obtainable with the process of this invention is anon-temper fat. When blending the first fat of this invention with cocoabutter in certain ratios, the blend will show a softening or decrease inSFC-profile compared to cocoa butter, but it has the advantage that theprocessing in a confectionery application does not necessitate temperingto have the fat in a stable crystalline form. In this respect the firstfat obtained with the process of the invention differs fundamentallyfrom the one described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,686,240.

If so desired, the above-described first fat may be blended with asecond fat. Thereto, 1-100% of the first fat may be blended with 99-0%of a second fat. The second fat preferably has a TFA-content of lessthan 10%, preferably less than 5%. To limit the trans fatty acid contentas well as the saturated fatty acid content of the fat compositioncomprising the first and the second fat, the second fat is preferably anon-hydrogenated fat.

The second fat preferably has an SFC at 30° C. of less than 7% and at35° C. of less than 4%, as this allows minimising tailing of the SFCprofile and thus waxiness of the product. Preferred examples of fatcompositions suitable for use as the second fat include palm fractionsor liquid oils like for instance sunflower oil, rapeseed oil or soybeanoil. Most preferably, the second fat is a palm fraction with an IVof >40, preferably >45, most preferably >50.

Other examples of fats suitable for use as the second fat include oleinfractions recovered from the fractionation of palm oil or liquid oilremoved in the fractionation process used to produce the starting fatcomposition. In practise this means that a stearin fraction obtainedfrom the fractionation of palm oil is slightly hydrogenated according tothe process of this invention as described above. After thehydrogenation reaction has been terminated, part of the olein fractionis added to the hydrogenated stearin fraction. In that way, startingfrom a palm oil containing starting material, a fat composition may beobtained with good yield, good melting in the mouth, having asufficiently high crystallisation speed and a low trans fattyacid-content.

The present invention further relates to confectionery productscontaining the fat composition obtainable with the process of thisinvention or confectionery products containing the above described fatcomposition of the invention.

In particular the present invention relates to confectionery productslike fillings, creams and caramel.

In dough applications for baked bakery products the fat phase is veryoften added in the form of a margarine or a spread. Therefore, theinvention also concerns water-in-oil emulsions containing 20-85 wt % offat, the fat containing an amount of the fat composition obtainable withthe process of this invention or an amount of the above described fatcomposition. Of particular interest is a fat composition comprising anamount of the first fat and an amount of a second fat, the second fatbeing a non-hydrogenated oil, like a liquid oil or a palm fraction withan IV of more than 40, preferably >45, most preferably >50.

Another aspect of the invention concerns the use of above describedwater-in-oil emulsions in baking applications, in particular in thephase of the preparation of the dough.

Bakery dough products containing the fat composition obtainable with theprocess of this invention or containing the fat composition of thisinvention described above or containing an amount of the above describedwater-in-oil emulsion of this invention, are also part of the invention.

Baked products, such as for example biscuits, cookies and cakes,obtained by baking a bakery dough of this invention, are a further partof this invention.

Another aspect of the invention concerns confectionery coating fats.Coating fats are understood to comprise harder types of confectioneryfats suitable for use in coatings or confectionery bars. To be suitablefor this use, the fat must have a good heat resistance, i.e. asufficiently high solid fat content at room temperature, combined withgood melting at body temperature to avoid a waxy feeling in the mouth,upon eating. Such coating fats can be prepared by using the fatcomposition obtainable with the process of this invention, as from thisprocess fats result with a steep SFC-curve and a good crystallisationspeed. To maintain these characteristics of steep SFC-curve and goodcrystallisation rate, the first fat will rather be combined with anadditional fat, having a steep SFC profile. Mostly, the above describedsecond fat will not be used for that purpose. The additional fatpreferably has a SFC at 20° C. of at least 50%, preferably at least 60%.The additional fat to be combined with the first fat can be a fatobtained by hydrogenation, fractionation, interesterification or througha combination of two or more of these processes. Examples of suchadditional fats are hydrogenated liquid oils, hydrogenated andfractionated palm olein, palm stearin or interesterified palm stearinwhich is subjected to an additional fractionation step, in order to giveit a steep SFC-profile. The additional fat is thus by preference anon-lauric fat.

The confectionery coating fat will usually contain at least 15 wt. %,preferably at least 20 wt. % of the fat composition of this invention orthe fat composition obtainable with the method of this invention,depending on the envisaged use and properties required for the endproduct. Depending on the envisaged use, the confectionery coating fatmay contain 100 wt. % of the fat composition of this invention, or lessthan 85 wt. %, less than 75 wt. %, or even less than 60 wt. %

A further aspect of this invention concerns a confectionery fat for hardcentres containing the fat composition obtainable with the abovedescribed process or containing a fat composition of the invention asdescribed above. Hard centres are understood to comprise in particularconfectionery products containing sugar, fat and other possibleingredients like broken or finely grinded nuts, milk powder, cocoapowder, cocoa mass, etc. which are all mixed together and which have aconsistency such that the product can be extruded. It is important thatthe confectionery fat used in these products is hard enough and shows asufficiently fast crystallisation, as very often these products areproduced through extrusion after which they are cooled and cut, followedby enrobing.

The invention also relates to a confectionery fat for hard centres, thefat containing less than 25 wt. % with respect to the total fatty acidcontent, preferably less than 15 wt. %, most preferably less than 10 wt.% of trans fatty acids.

The invention is further illustrated in the examples and comparativeexamples given below.

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE A

A palm oil was dry fractionated into (1) a stearin fraction with aniodine value of 35, and (2) an olein fraction with an iodine value (IV)of 56. The olein fraction yield was 81%. The olein fraction was furtherdry fractionated into a second stearin fraction and a second oleinfraction with IV-value 64.1. The olein yield was 49.9%, when calculatedwith respect to the original palm oil. The solid fat content (SFC),fatty acid composition (FAC) and triglyceride composition of the thusobtained olein fraction is given in table 1.

To obtain a fat composition with a steep SFC-profile, the olein wassubsequently hydrogenated. Two different catalysts were tested, anon-specific and a trans-specific nickel catalyst, respectively thePricat 9910 and Pricat 9908 (Synetix). The conditions in which thehydrogenation reaction was carried out, are described in table 2. TheSFC and FAC of the hydrogenated olein fractions are given in table 1.

As can be seen from table 1, hydrogenation with a trans-specificcatalyst (Pricat 9908) gives an olein fraction with a steeper SFCprofile as compared to the olein fraction hydrogenated in the presenceof the non-specific catalyst (Pricat 9910), which renders thehydrogenated product more suitable for use in filling or cream fatapplications. The results of this comparative example are completely inline with the observations by Mori in earlier mentioned literature.TABLE 1 Start Palm hydrogenated hydrogenated Product Olein Palm Oleinn^(o) 1 Palm Olein n^(o) 2 IV 64.1 56.5 51.1 FAC C12 0.32 0.32 0.30 C141.02 1.00 1.00 C16 33.93 33.79 33.50 C18 4.09 4.34 5.06 C18-1 45.7355.19 56.90 C18-2 14.05 3.72 1.38 C18-3 0.17 0.00 0.00 C 20 0.34 0.380.35 TFA 0.86 27.85 15.84 SFA 39.70 39.83 40.21 TFA + SFA 40.56 67.6856.05 Triglycerides S2U 30.80 SU2 + U3 58.63 S3 0.33 Diglycerides 7.95SFC 10° C. 0.8 72.0 65.5 20° C. 0.0 43.3 35.4 25° C. 0.0 26.5 22.0 30°C. 0.0 14.4 11.8 35° C. 0.0 3.5 3.6

TABLE 2 Sample nr nr 1 nr 2 Amount of fat (kg) 1.5 1.5 catalyst typeSynetix 9908 Synetix 9910 catalyst amount 0.4 0.10% Reaction-T (° C.)180-200 180-200 Reaction-P(Bar) 0.75 0.2 Mixer speed (rpm) 1200 1000H2-consumption (L) 8 13.5

EXAMPLE 1

A palm oil was dry fractionated into a first stearin fraction with an IVof 34.4 and a first olein fraction with an IV of 55.4 The olein yieldwas 84%. Thereafter, the olein fraction was further dry fractionatedinto a second stearin fraction with an IV 44.9 and a second oleinfracton with an IV-value of 63.1. The SFC, FAC and triglyceride-contentof the stearin fraction is summarised in table 3. The yield of thesecond stearin fraction as calculated from the original palm oil is36.1%. The crystallisation rate of the second stearin fraction is givenin table 5.

To obtain a fat with steeper SFC-profile, a better heat resistance and abetter crystallisation rate, the thus obtained stearin fraction washydrogenated, in the presence of the catalysts of comparative example A,i.e. the trans-specific nickel catalyst the Pricat 9908 (sample 3) andthe non-specific catalyst Pricat 9910 (sample 4). The hydrogenationconditions are given in table 4, SFC and FAC of the hydrogenatedproducts are given in table 3, solidification rates are given in table5.

From the results of table 3 it can be seen that sample 3 which had beenhydrogenated with a trans-specific catalyst did not show a steeperSFC-profile as compared to sample 4 which had been hydrogenated in thepresence of a non-specific catalyst. This result was unexpected in viewof the teaching by Mori and comparative example A. From table 3 itfurther appears that the use of a non-specific catalyst does not giverise to a fat composition with more tailing, which would be unwanted asthis creates waxiness. In fact, the characteristics of the fat afterfractionation were such that, after a slight hydrogenation the desiredproperties in terms of SFC and crystallisation rate could be obtained,the formation of unwanted amounts of saturated fatty acids being limitedas well as the building of additional amounts of trisaturates. Also bothfat compositions, obtained through hydrogenation in the presence ofeither one of the two catalyst showed similar solidification speeds.

Both samples 3 and 4 are suitable for use in in a filling or a cream.However the fat composition hydrogenated with the non-specific catalysthas the advantage of showing a lower TFA-content, the sum of TFA and SFAalso being lower. TABLE 3 Start Product 2nd stearin Nr 3 Nr 4 IV 44.942.6 39.9 FAC C12 0.33 0.26 0.25 C14 1.34 1.17 1.17 C16 51.29 50.8451.36 C18 4.64 4.85 4.73 C18-1 34.87 37.10 38.62 C18-2 6.95 5.05 3.23C18-3 0.00 0.00 0.00 C 20 0.36 0.31 0.33 TFA 0.42 7.15 4.25 SFA 57.9657.43 57.84 TFA + SFA 58.38 64.58 62.09 Triglycerides S2U 63.63 SU2 + U323.98 S3 4.46 Diglycerides 5.50 SFC 10° C. 71.9 80.4 82.0 20° C. 43.458.4 61.0 25° C. 19.7 37.1 38.8 30° C. 9.2 20.5 20.8 35° C. 3.8 9.5 9.7

TABLE 4 Sample nr nr 3 nr 4 Amount of fat (kg) 1.5 1.5 catalyst typeSynetix 9908 Synetix 9910 catalyst amount 0.3 0.10% Reaction-T (° C.)200 200 Reaction-P(Bar) 0.2 0.2 Mixer speed (rpm) 1000 1000H2-consumption (L) 1.25 4.5

TABLE 5 SFC (*) Time Start product Sample Nr 3 Sample Nr 4  2.5′ 10.817.5 16.6  5′ 12.1 24.9 21.5  7.5′ 12.6 33.1 28.1 10′ 13.2 40.9 35.1 15′17.2 50.6 46.9(*)SFC after complete melting at 80° C. and cooling in water bath at 15°C.

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE B

A palm oil was dry fractionated to give a first stearin fraction with anIV of 35 and a first olein fraction with an IV of 56. The first oleinfraction yield was 81%. The first olein fraction was further dryfractionated into a second stearin fraction with an IV of 45.2 and asecond olein fraction. This second stearin fraction corresponds to apalm mid fraction (PMF) with an SFC and FAC as indicated in table 6,sample 5.

The PMF yield with respect to the original palm oil was 28.9%. As can beseen from table 6, the SFC profile of this PMF is sharper as compared tothe SFC-profile of samples 3 and 4, thus rendering the PMF fractionespecially suitable for use in cream or filling fats. However the fat ofsample 5 has a very slow crystallisation speed (table 7), and it is moreexpensive since the yield of this fraction on the original palm oil isvery low. The TFA-content was negligible.

To improve the crystallisation speed 30% of the first stearin fractionwas added to 70% of the PMF fraction again (sample 6, table 7). Thisaddition had the effect that the SFC-profile became less sharp (seetable 6, sample 6). The SFC of sample 6 is comparable to the SFC ofsample 1 of comparative example A, except for the somewhat moreexpressed tailing at 35° C. for the non-hydrogenated product.

Combining of the first stearin fraction with the palm mid fraction, theyield with respect to the original palm oil, improved to 41.3%. TABLE 6Nr 5 Product PMF Nr 6 IV 45.2 42.24 FAC C12 0.31 0.26 C14 1.18 1.14 C1648.20 50.62 C18 4.60 4.88 C18-1 37.40 35.31 C18-2 7.70 7.06 C18-3 0.000.00 C 20 0.32 0.38 TFA 0.14 0.43 SFA 54.61 57.28 TFA + SFA 54.75 7.71Triglycerides S2U 69.30 SU2 + U3 23.90 S3 0.90 Diglycerides 4.13 SFC 10°C. 69.4 71.5 20° C. 34.4 46.0 25° C. 3.7 24.3 30° C. 0.0 14.3 35° C. 0.07.7

TABLE 7 SFC (*) Time Sample nr. 5 Sample nr. 6  2.5′ 0 14.4  5′ 1.5 15.7 7.5′ 2.3 16.2 10′ 2.3 17.6 15′ 2.6 22.9(*)SFC after complete melting at 80° C. and cooling in a water bath at15° C.

EXAMPLE 2

Fat compositions of sample 1, 4 and 6 were used to make the followingblends:

-   -   blend 1: 100% fat sample 1    -   blend 2: 80% fat sample 4+20% Palm Olein with an IV of 63.1    -   blend 3: 100% fat sample 6

The palm olein that was added in blend 2 to fat sample 4, was the secondolein obtained in the preparation of sample 4 of example 1. The blendsshowed the properties summarised in table 8. TABLE 8 Blend 1 Blend 2Blend 3 SFC 10° C. 72.0 71.5 71.5 20° C. 43.3 45.6 46.0 25° C. 26.5 25.324.3 30° C. 14.4 13.0 14.3 35° C. 3.5 5.2 7.7 Crystrallisation speed at15° C.  2.5′ 17.5 12.2 14.4  5′ 30.0 14.9 15.7  7.5′ 35.6 19.2 16.2 10′39.1 24.6 17.6 15′ 43.4 32.9 22.9 TFA 27.9 3.6 0.4 SFA + TFA 67.7 57.957.7 Yield 49.9 45.1 41.3

Blends 1-3 were used for the preparation of fillings according to therecipe of table 9 and the following procedure. All dry ingredients wereweighed and mixed with part of the molten fat to obtain a kind of“dough”. The “dough” had a fat content of 25%. 0.4% of the lecithin wasadded from the beginning. The dough was passed over a roll refiner toreduce the particle size to 15-20 micron, and homogenised with theremainder of the fat in a mixer with hot jacket for 1 hour. Afterremoving the dough from the mixer, it was cooled to 40° C. and pouredinto alumina cups. No tempering was applied. The cups were immediatelyinserted in a cooling device at 12° C. for 30′, followed by cooling foranother 30′ at 15° C. The cups were stored at 20° C.

In the course of the preparation of the dough it was observed that theviscosity and pourability of the different fillings when filling thecups, was virtually the same. All fillings completely solidified after30′ at 12° C.

After storing for 2 weeks at 20° C., the thus obtained fillings wereevaluated by a taste panel of 8 persons. For different characteristics ataste score was given from 0 to 4, the score 0 indicating that thecharacteristic was not present, the score 4 indicating that thecharacteristic was strongly present. The results are summarised in table10.

A similar evaluation of the fillings was done after storing for 4 and 8weeks at 20° C. In the evaluation after 8 weeks, the taste panel wasasked which filling they preferred. The results are summarised in table10. TABLE 9 Sugar 42.9 Cocoa powder 9.9 Skimmed milk powder 4.3 Fat 42.9lecithin 0.4 vanillin 0.1

An evaluation of the results of table 10 learns that:

-   -   The characteristics of Blend 2, which is a fat composition        according to the invention and has a low trans fatty acid        content, are comparable to or even better than Blend 1, which        has a higher trans fatty acid content. The scores for blend 1        and 2 after 2 and 4 weeks are almost equal; after 8 weeks blend        2 gets even the best score in terms of mouthfeel and waxiness; 7        of the 8 evaluators preferred sample 2 as the best one, 1        evaluator gave an ex aequo to sample 1 and 2. This good result        was unexpected.

Blend 3 containing the fat composition of sample 6 which containedvirtually no trans fatty acids, gives a much more waxy feeling and aless good melting in the mouth. TABLE 10 Blend 1 Blend 2 Blend 3 After 2weeks Good mouthfeel 2.4 2.5 1.6 Waxiness 1.4 1.5 2.8 Graininess 0 0 0After 4 weeks Good mouthfeel 2.9 2.8 1.9 Waxiness 1.1 1.5 2.3 Graininess0 0.1 0 After 8 weeks Good mouthfeel 2.4 3 1.8 Waxiness 1.1 0.8 2.3Graininess 0.1 0.1 0.1 Best 1x 8x 0x

Each of the above tested blends consists of fractions of palm oil, whichwere hydrogenated or not hydrogenated after having been subjected to afractionation. The yield of these blends with respect to the originalpalm oil, the TFA-content as well as the sum of TFA+SFA expressed, aregiven in table 8.

The results of table 8 indicate that blend 2 according to the invention,may be obtained with a good yield, shows a very low TFA content and alow content of TFA+SFA. Blend 2 did not require the use of atrans-specific catalyst in the hydrogenation reaction to obtain therequired characteristics. Blend 2 learns that first removing an oleinfraction, followed by hydrogenation of the thus obtained stearinfraction, partial recombination of the olein fraction with the partiallyhydrogenated stearin fraction gives a fat composition with aninteresting SFC-profile, a lower TFA and SFA content and an improvedyield. Blend nr 2 was a cream or filling fat of good quality, with agood crystallisation rate and a good nutritional profile, which can beobtained at a reasonable cost. This was the objective of this invention.

Blend 1 is a traditional approach based on a hydrogenated palm oleinfraction. To obtain the desired characteristics for Blend 1, it wasnecessary to carry out the hydrogenation reaction in the presence of atrans specific catalyst, which adversely affected the TFA and TFA+SFAcontent.

Blend 3 was an attempt to make a “trans fatty acid free” fat compositionstarting from a palm mid fraction. No hydrogenation at all was done.Although the starting product had a steep SFC-curve, its crystallisationrate was too slow and of a low yield, rendering the product expensive.

To overcome these disadvantages an amount of a stearin fraction wasadded to the palm mid fraction. The product yield and crystallisationrate could be improved, although the latter remained clearly lower thanwith blends 1 and 2. Moreover, a new problem was created being thewaxiness of the final product. From a nutritional point of view, thisblend cannot be considered much better than blend 2 because of itshigher saturated fatty acid content and because the sum of TFA and SFAis approximately the same for product 3 and product 2.

EXAMPLE 3

Starting from palm oil, a palm mid fraction was produced by subjectingthe palm oil to a fractionation and removing a first stearin fractionand a first olein fraction. The properties of the palm mid fraction(sample 7) are given in table 11, the crystallisation rate is given intable 13. The yield with respect to palm oil was 48.2%, which is muchbetter than the PMF yield of comparative example 2 (sample 5).

To obtain a product with a steeper SFC profile and an improvedcrystallisation rate, the PMF of sample 7 was slightly hydrogenated witha non-specific catalyst and a trans-specific catalyst. The hydrogenationconditions are given in table 12. Attempts were done to keep the TFAcontent as low as possible.

The properties of the thus obtained products are summarised in table 11and 13 (sample 8 & 9). Hydrogenated samples 8 and 9 have almost the sameSFC and the same crystallisation rate, although sample 9 had a lowerTFA-content as the hydrogenation reaction was carried out in thepresence of a non-specific hydrogenation catalyst. This confirms theobservations made in example 1: the fat composition obtained byhydrogenation in the presence of a non-trans specific catalyst has a SFCprofile with the same steepness and does not show more “tailing” thanthe product obtained with the trans-specific catalyst. This was notexpected from the state of the art.

The two fat compositions 8 & 9 were evaluated for their performance in acream. The recipe for producing the cream is given in table 14. The sameprocedure was applied as in example 2. Sample 8 and 9 showed virtuallythe same behaviour when preparing the creams.

The creams were stored for respectively 1 and 6 weeks and evaluated. Atest panel was asked to indicate which one of the samples stored for 6weeks, they preferred. The results are given in table 15. TABLE 11 Nr 7Mid Nr 8 Hydr Nr 9 Hydr Product Fraction Mid Frac Mid Frac IV 48.0 46.945.1 FAC C12 0.24 0.24 0.23 C14 1.08 1.10 1.07 C16 46.49 46.99 46.64 C184.74 4.83 4.76 C18-1 38.21 39.29 41.61 C18-2 8.60 6.58 5.12 C18-3 0.080.00 0.00 C 20 0.32 0.32 0.32 TFA 1.06 6.29 3.65 SFA 52.87 53.48 53.02TFA + SFA 53.93 59.77 56.67 Triglycerides S2U 55.10 SU2 + U3 30.20 S34.80 Diglycerides 5.95 SFC 10° C. 61.5 68.7 69.5 15° C. 48.6 59.4 59.520° C. 32.4 42.2 42.9 25° C. 15.2 24.8 24.7 30° C. 7.8 13.5 13.1 35° C.3.7 6.5 6.2

TABLE 12 Sample nr nr 8 nr 9 Amount of fat (kg) 1.5 1.5 catalyst typeSynetix 9908 Synetix 9910 catalyst amount 0.3 0.10% Reaction-T (° C.)200 200 Reaction-P(Bar) 0.2 0.2 Mixer speed (rpm) 1000 1000H2-consumption (L) 0.85 3.50

TABLE 13 SFC (*) Time Sample nr. 7 Sample nr. 8 Sample nr. 9  2.5′ 9.213.3 13.3  5′ 10.1 15.4 15.8  7.5′ 10.7 17.7 18.7 10′ 11.9 22.4 24.0 15′18.1 32.5 33.2(*) SFC after complete melting at 80° C. and cooling in a water bath at15° C.

TABLE 14 Sugar 49.5 Skimmed milk powder 15.0 Fat 35.0 lecithin 0.5

The results of table 15 show that the creams made with the blend 8 and 9are equivalent. In both cases a cream with an acceptable mouthfeel, goodcrystallisation rate and low TFA-content could be obtained. The productwith the trans-specific catalyst did not show better sharper meltingproperties in the mouth. In both cases the product yield with respect tothe palm oil was satisfactory which was the objective of the invention.The fat composition of sample 9 produced with a non-trans selectivecatalyst, has the additional advantage of a very low TFA-content,without being inferior on one of the other characteristics that werejudged as important for this application. TABLE 15 Evaluation of thecream Taste evaluation Sample nr. 8 Sample nr. 9 After 1 week Goodmouthfeel 2.6 2.5 Waxyness 1.2 1.1 Grainyness 0.1 0 After 6 weeks Goodmouthfeel 2.5 2.6 Waxyness 1.5 1.3 Grainyness 0.3 0.1 Best 4x 4x

EXAMPLE 4

A mid fraction from palm oil was obtained by dry fractionation and hadan IV of 44.1. Other characteristics of this fraction are given in table16 (product nr 10). This fraction was hydrogenated using a non-specificcatalyst, type Pricat 9910. The product thus obtained had an IV of 42.4and a trans fatty acid content of 3.03 wt% (see table 16, product nr11). Crystallisation speed of the startproduct and the hydrogenatedproduct are given in table 17. TABLE 16 Nr 10 Mid Nr 11 Hydr Nr 12 HydrProduct Fraction Mid Frac Rapeseed IV 44.1 42.4 70.5 FAC C12 0.27 0.350.10 C14 1.29 1.33 0.10 C16 52.45 52.68 4.71 C18 4.38 4.59 14.16 C18-133.62 35.25 75.96 C18-2 6.93 4.86 1.33 C18-3 0.00 0.00 0.38 C 20 0.300.30 0.87 TFA 0.33 3.03 39.36 SFA 59.25 59.68 20.95 TFA + SFA 59.5862.71 60.31 Triglycerides S2U 57.12 SU2 + U3 25.87 S3 4.53 Diglycerides4.26 SFC 10° C. 72.4 77.9 15° C. 61.0 68.6 20° C. 43.9 54.0 25° C. 21.633.0 30° C. 10.7 17.1 35° C. 4.9 8.7

TABLE 17 SFC (*) Time Sample Nr10 Sample Nr11  2.5′ 10.9 14.6  5′ 12.217.2  7.5′ 12.7 20.8 10′ 13.0 27.1 15′ 17.6 40.4(*) SFC after complete melting at 80° C. and cooling in a water bath at15° C.

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE C

Rapeseed oil was hydrogenated, using a non-specific catalyst, typePricat 9910, until an IV of 70.5. The trans fatty acid content was 39.36wt %. Other characteristics are given in table 16 (product nr 12).Product 12 is a standard type of hydrogenated fat that can be employedin various applications, among those in bakery.

EXAMPLE 5

Dough fats were made by combining each of the products nr 11 and nr 12with a double fractionated palm olein (DFPO) with IV 67.4. Thecombination was done in such a way as to obtain blends with similarSFC-profile. The composition of these blends was following:

-   -   Blend 4: 54% product 11+46% DFPO    -   Blend 5: 60% product 12+40% DFPO (comparative blend)

The SFC-values of these blends is given in table 18 Blend 4 had a transfatty acid content of 2.4 wt %, blend 5 of 24.1 wt %. TABLE 18 Blend 4Blend 5 SFC 10 48.7 44.3 SFC 20 21.0 19.5 SFC 25 10.9 10.5 SFC 30 5.84.4 SFC 35 1.6 0.8

To the above described fat compositions two types of emulsifiers wereadded: respectively 0.3% of distilled mono-acyl glyceride and 0.3% ofsorbitan mono oleate. Shortenings were produced in a pilot combinator. Adough was prepared according to following recipe and procedure:

-   -   50 parts of shortening and 40 parts of sugar were mixed and        whipped so as to obtain a specific gravity of ca 0.85 kg/l    -   17 parts of whole egg was added and mixed in    -   100 parts of soft flour were added and mixed till a dough was        obtained    -   the dough was put for 30 min in the fridge to become firm    -   then the dough was hand kneaded, sheeted and moulded (thickness        4 mm, diameter 45 mm)    -   the biscuits were baked at 200° C. (7.5-8 min) and cooled for 30        min to room temperature

The observations are summarised in the table below: Blend 4 Blend 5Whipping time 3 min 1 min needed Spec. gravity 0.83 0.85 after whippingAppearance good plasticity less plastic of the dough harder than blend 5observations good plasticity & elasticity more soft and crumbly duringkneading less cracking than blend 5 some oiling out and sheeting moredifficult to handle baking time 8 min 7 min 30 sec biscuit best snapdarker colour evaluation softer texture

The conclusion of this test was that both in product handling and infinal result, blend nr 4 was better than blend nr 5. Blend nr 4 is anexcellent dough fat and it contains 10 times less trans fatty acids thanthe comparative blend nr 5.

EXAMPLE 6

A mid fraction from palm oil was obtained by dry fractionation and hadan IV of 45.1. Other characteristics of this fraction are given in table19 (product nr 13). This fraction was hydrogenated using a non specificcatalyst, type Pricat 9910. The product thus obtained had an IV of 38.8and a trans fatty acid content of 8.22 wt % (see table 19, product nr14). Solidification speed is given in table 20.

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE D

A non-lauric cocoabutter replacer (NL-CBR) was prepared by blendinghydrogenated soybeanoil and hydrogenated double fractionated palmolein,using a trans-specific catalyst, type Pricat 9908.

The thus obtained product had an IV of 70.7, and a trans fatty acidcontent of 71.61%. Other characteristics are given in table 19 (productnr 15). TABLE 19 Nr 13 Mid Nr 14 Hydr Nr 15 Product Fraction Mid FracNL-CBR IV 45.1 38.8 70.7 FAC C12 0.25 0.24 0.25 C14 0.94 0.99 0.29 C1648.10 49.13 14.43 C18 4.99 5.63 7.91 C18-1 38.12 41.97 74.73 C18-2 6.681.79 1.53 C18-3 0.10 0.00 0.00 C 20 0.38 0.08 0.38 TFA 0.60 8.22 71.61SFA 54.77 56.19 23.26 TFA + SFA 55.37 64.41 94.87 Triglycerides S2U68.96 SU2 + U3 21.84 S3 1.57 Diglycerides 4.59 SFC 10° C. 75.0 87.0 80.715° C. 63.8 80.2 79.7 20° C. 46.0 68.1 66.4 25° C. 10.1 46.1 49.9 30° C.1.0 24.5 28.5 35° C. 0.0 10.9 8.9

TABLE 20 SFC(*) Time Sample Nr13 Sample Nr14  2.5′ 0 18.3  5′ 3.6 31.2 7.5′ 4.8 41.9 10′ 5.2 50.2 15′ 5.5 59.1(*)SFC after complete melting at 80° C. and cooling in a water bath at15° C.

EXAMPLE 7

Confectionery centres were prepared according to following procedure andrecipe. A first mixture was prepared by mixing 50 parts of sugar, 15parts of skimmed milk powder and 15 parts of hazelnut paste to ahomogeneous blend. After roll refining the blend, the blend was put in amixer with a heated jacket at a temperature of 40° C. An amount of fatwas molten at 45° C. 20 parts of fat were added to the blend and mixedwith the other ingredients for 1/2 hour. The mass was removed from themixer and rolled open in a layer of a thickness of ca.1.5 cm. The layerwas let to cool for ½ hour in a refrigerator at 5° C. From this layercentres of 4 cm×4 cm were cut and stored at 20° C.

In this recipe for a centre, two types of fats were tested: in product14 a hydrogenated palm mid fraction was used, in product 15 a NL-CBR(not according to the invention) was used. The centres were stored for 2weeks at 20° C. and then evaluated by a taste panel of 8 persons, asdescribed in example 2. The results are given in table 21.

From the results summarised in table 21 it can be concluded that theproduct containing fat nr 14, according to our invention, was preferredover product 15, which on top of the inferior quality had a high levelof trans fatty acids. TABLE 21 After 2 weeks product 14 product 15Mouthfeel 2.5 1.8 Waxiness 0.3 0.6 Graininess 0.2 0.2

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE E

A non-lauric cocoabutter replacer (NL-CBR) was prepared by blendinghydrogenated soybeanoil and hydrogenated double fractionated palmolein,using a trans-specific catalyst, type Pricat 9908. The product thusobtained had an IV of 70.8, and a trans fatty acid content of 63.65wt %.Other characteristics are given in table 22 (product nr 16).

EXAMPLE 8

A non-lauric cocoa butter replacer (NL-CBR) was prepared by blending 80%of the fat described in comparative example E (product nr 16) and 20% ofproduct nr 14. In fact 20% wt. of the high trans NL-CBR were replaced by20% of the low trans fat nr 14, which is a fat according to theinvention, causing a decrease in trans fatty acid content of 11.09 wt %.The product thus obtained is product nr 17.

The SFC-profile of products nr. 16 and 17 is given in table 23. Thistable shows that the blending of these fats had hardly any effect on theSFC: the high SFC at room temperature, which is needed for the heatresistance of a coating, is maintained and the SFC at 35° C., which islinked to the risk of getting waxiness, does not increase. TABLE 22 Nr16 Product NL-CBR IV 70.8 FAC C12 0.38 C14 0.38 C16 15.91 C18 5.82 C18-176.02 C18-2 0.76 C18-3 0.00 C 20 0.34 TFA 63.65 SFA 22.83 TFA + SFA86.48

TABLE 23 SFC Temperature ° C. Sample Nr16 Sample Nr17 10 88.9 89.1 2067.3 65.2 25 49.6 45.6 30 27.3 22.8 35 6.2 5.5

EXAMPLE 9

Confectionery coatings were prepared with the fats nr. 16 and 17according to the recipe of table 24. Thereby the following procedure wasused: first the fat was molten and 1% of sorbitan tristearate was added.All ingredients, except part of the fat, were mixed and roll refined.Then the ingredients were further homogenised with the rest of the fatin a mixer with heated jacket at a temperature of 40° C.

From this coating mixture, tablets were moulded at 45° C., cooled for30′ at 50° C., followed by 30′ at 15° C., following which the tabletswere un-moulded. No tempering was applied. The tablets were stored in anincubator at 20° C. TABLE 24 Coating Recipe % Fat 29.2 Sugar 44.7Cocoapowder 10/12 20.6 Cocoa Mass 5.1 Lecithine 0.4 Vanilline 0.05

Tablets were stored for 2 weeks at 20° C. and then evaluated by a tastepanel of 8 persons as described in example 2. The results are summarisedin table 25. TABLE 25 After 2 weeks product 16 product 17 Mouthfeel 2.12.3 Waxiness 1.2 0.9

From the results of table 25 it can be concluded that no significantdifference was observed between the original NL-CBR and the fatcomposition in which 20% of the fat was replaced by a low trans fataccording to the invention.

EXAMPLE 10

A coating fat was made by subjecting the second stearin used as startingmaterial in example 1 to a hydrogenation reaction applying the reactionconditions of sample 3. However hydrogenation was carried out such thata higher degree of hydrogenation was obtained. The H2-consumption was2.25 L and the IV of the hydrogenated product was 42.1. Furthercharacteristics of the hydrogenated product are given in table 26(product nr. 18). TABLE 26 Nr 18 Hydr Nr 19 Hydr Product Mid Frac OleinIV 42.1 55.0 FAC C12 0.22 0.33 C14 1.11 1.04 C16 50.38 33.78 C18 4.934.40 C18-1 38.33 58.72 C18-2 3.29 0.57 C18-3 0.00 0.00 C 20 0.35 0.36TFA 11.96 36.73 SFA 57.11 40.00 SFC 10° C. 87.7 91.3 20° C. 69.1 70.225° C. 50.6 53.6 30° C. 30.9 33.8 35° C. 17.8 15.4

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE F

Similarly, a coating fat was made by subjecting the palm olein ofcomparative example A (Table 1) to a hydrogenation reaction using thereaction conditions of sample 1. However, the hydrogenation reaction wascarried out in such a way that a higher degree of hydrogenation wasobtained.

The H2-consumption was 12.6 L and the IV of the product obtained was55.0. Further characteristics of the hydrogenated product are given intable 26 (product nr. 19).

EXAMPLE 11

With products nr 18 and 19, a coating was made using the recipesummarised in table 27.

The coating was prepared as described in example 9. The coating was thenused to cover biscuits of example 5 with dough fat blend 4. The coatingwas applied to the biscuits at a temperature of 50° C. The coatedbiscuits were cooled at 10° C. for 10 minutes. All coatings werecompletely solidified after this cooling and had a nice gloss. TABLE 27Coating Recipe % Fat 35 Sugar 49.5 Skimmed Milk Powder 15 Lecithine 0.5

The biscuits were allowed to rest at 15° C. for 30′ and then stored at20° C. for one week. Evaluation of the coated biscuits after one weekstorage learned that the coated biscuits had a good appearance and niceeating properties. There was no preference between the biscuit coatedwith the fat composition nr. 18 or 19. The product coated with thecoating made with fat nr. 18 had the advantage over product nr. 19 ofcontaining only a limited amount of trans fatty acids.

EXAMPLE 12

In this example use is made of a mid fraction of palm oil, obtained bydry fractionation of palm oil, the mid fraction having an IV of 45.0.Other characteristics are given in table 28 (product nr 20). Thisfraction product nr. 20 was subjected to a hydrogenation reaction, so asto obtain a product with an IV of 42.6 (product nr. 21). The trans fattyacid content of the hydrogenated product was 3.81 wt. %. TABLE 28 Nr 20Mid Nr 21 Hydr Product Fraction Mid Frac IV 45.0 42.6 FAC C12 0.28 0.29C14 1.21 1.27 C16 50.87 51.19 C18 4.34 4.64 C18-1 35.10 37.37 C18-2 7.234.14 C18-3 0.13 0.03 C 20 0.33 0.30 TFA 0.29 3.81 SFA 57.36 58.31 TFA +SFA 57.65 62.12 Triglycerides S2U 68.58 SU2 + U3 23.32 S3 1.27Diglycerides 4.07 SFC 10° C. 70.9 76.0 20° C. 44.8 53.3 25° C. 9.2 26.530° C. 1.5 14.8

EXAMPLE 13

A caramel was made using fat nr. 21 of this invention, and fat nr 12,which is a hydrogenated liquid oil, having a high content of trans fattyacids. The recipe of the caramel was as described in table 29. TABLE 29Caramel Recipe % Fat 15 Glucose syrup (80 Bx) 34 Granulated sugar 18.5Condensed milk(*) 27.5 SMP 5(*)25.7% moisture and 56.3% sugar content.

The caramel was prepared by mixing all ingredients together, heating themixture was for 20-25′ to a temperature of 120° C. After having reachedthe temperature of 120° C. the mixture was immediately cooled to 55° C.and the caramel was moulded and further let to cool down.

The thus obtained candies were evaluated by an evaluation panel. Nosignificant differences were observed between the 2 samples. All sampleskept their shape well and no oiling out was observed. Fat nr 21 of thepresent invention performed well in this application, equally good asthe reference fat. However fat nr. 21 of this invention has theadvantage of having a much lower content in trans fatty acids.

1-29. (canceled)
 30. A process for the production of a fat composition suitable as non-tempering confectionery fat or as bakery fat, characterised in that a starting fat composition containing palm oil or a palm oil fraction and having the following composition (a) a glyceride composition with a S₂U content between 47 and 75 wt. %, a SU₂+U₃ content <40 wt. %, a S₃ content between 1 and 15 wt. %, a diglyceride content of 3 to 12 wt. %, the glyceride contents being expressed as wt. % with respect to the total amount of di-and triglycerides in which S means a saturated fatty acid with a hydrocarbon chain length of 14-24 carbon atoms and U means unsaturated fatty acid with a hydrocarbon chain length of 14-24 carbon atoms; and (b) a total content of unsaturated fatty acids of less than 55 wt. %, is subjected to a catalytic hydrogenation so as to obtain a first fat with a trans fatty acid content less than 15 wt. % and an increase of C18-0 of less than 1 wt. %, and in that the first fat is incorporated in the fat composition.
 31. The process of claim 30, wherein the total content of unsaturated fatty acids is less than 50 wt. %.
 32. The process of claim 30, wherein the total content of unsaturated fatty acids is less than 48 wt. %.
 33. The process of claim 30, wherein said fat composition is subjected to a catalytic hydrogenation so as to obtain a first fat with a trans fatty acid content of less than 10 wt. %.
 34. The process of claim 30, wherein said fat composition is subjected to a catalytic hydrogenation so as to obtain a first fat with a trans fatty acid content of less than 5 wt. %.
 35. The process of claim 30, wherein said fat composition is subjected to a catalytic hydrogenation so as to obtain an increase of C18-0 of less than 0.7 wt. %.
 36. The process of claim 30, wherein said fat composition is subjected to a catalytic hydrogenation so as to obtain an increase of C18-0 of less than 0.4 wt. %.
 37. The process of claim 30, characterised in that the starting fat composition has a glyceride composition with (a) a S₂U content between 50-70 wt. %, (b) a SU₂+U₃ content between 15-35 wt. %, and (c) a S₃ content of between 1.5 and 12 wt. %,.
 38. The process of claim 37, wherein the S₂U content is between 53-65 wt. %.
 39. The process of claim 37, wherein the SU₂+U₃ content is between 20-32 wt. %.
 40. The process of claim 37, wherein the S₃ content is between 2 and 10 wt. %.
 41. The process of claim 40, wherein the S₃ content is between 2.5-7 wt. %.
 42. The process of claim 30, characterised in that the starting fat composition contains a palm oil fraction obtained through fractionation of palm oil or a fraction thereof, the fractionation being either a dry fractionation or detergent fractionation.
 43. The process of claim 30 characterised in that the hydrogenation reaction is continued until a fat composition is obtained with a difference in iodine value before and after hydrogenation of less than 10, preferably less than
 5. 44. The process of claim 43, wherein the difference in iodine value before and after hydrogenation is less than
 5. 45. The process of claim 30, characterised in that the hydrogenation reaction is carried out in the presence of a non trans specific Ni-containing hydrogenation catalyst.
 46. The process of claim 30, characterised in that the hydrogenation reaction is carried out at a temperature ranging between 160-225° C.
 47. The process of claim 30, characterised in that 1-100 wt % of the first fat is mixed with 99-0% of a second fat and in that the mixture is incorporated in the fat composition, the second fat having a trans fatty acid content of less than 10 wt. %.
 48. The process of claim 47, wherein the second fat has a trans fatty acid content of less than 5 wt. %.
 49. The process as claimed in claim 47, characterised in that as the second fat use is made of a non-hydrogenated fat.
 50. The process as claimed in claim 47, characterised in that the second fat has an SFC at 30° C. of less than 7% and at 35° C. of less than 4%.
 51. The process of claim 47, characterised in that as a second fat use is made of a palm fraction or a liquid oil.
 52. The process as claimed in claim 47, characterised in that as the second fat use is made of a palm fraction having an iodine value above
 40. 53. The process as claimed in claim 47, characterised in that as the second fat use is made of a palm fraction having an iodine value above
 45. 54. The process as claimed in claim 47, characterised in that as the second fat use is made of a palm fraction having an iodine value above
 50. 55. A fat composition obtained with the process of claim 30, characterised in that the fat composition has a difference in SFC at 20° C. versus 35° C. of more than 35%, the SFC being measured according to IUPAC method 2.150 a.
 56. The fat composition of claim 55, wherein the fat composition has a difference in SFC at 20° C. versus 35° C. of more than 40%.
 57. The fat composition as claimed in claim 55, characterised in that the fat composition has a crystallisation time at 15° C. of less than 15′ to reach 50% of its SFC measured at 15° C.
 58. The fat composition as claimed in claim 55, characterised in that the fat composition is a non-temper fat.
 59. The fat composition as claimed in claim 55, characterised in that the composition contains 1-100 wt % of the first fat and 99-0% of a second fat, the second fat having a trans fatty acid content of less than 10 wt. %.
 60. The fat composition as claimed in claim 59, wherein the second fat has a trans fatty acid content of less than 5 wt. %.
 61. The fat composition as claimed in claim 59, characterised in that the second fat is a non-hydrogenated fat.
 62. The fat composition as claimed in claim 59, characterised in that the second fat has an SFC at 30° C. of less than 7% and at 35° C. of less than 4%.
 63. The fat composition as claimed in claim 59, characterised in that the second fat is a palm fraction or a liquid oil.
 64. The fat composition as claimed in claim 59, characterised in that the second fat is a palm fraction with an iodine value above
 40. 65. The fat composition as claimed in claim 59, characterised in that the second fat is a palm fraction with an iodine value above
 45. 66. The fat composition as claimed in claim 59, characterised in that the second fat is a palm fraction with an iodine value above
 50. 67. A confectionery product containing the fat composition obtained with the process of claim
 30. 68. The confectionery product as claimed in claim 67, characterised in that the confectionery product is selected from the group consisting of a filling and a cream.
 69. The confectionery product as claimed in claim 67, characterised in that the confectionery product is a caramel.
 70. A water-in-oil emulsion containing 20-85% of fat, characterised in that the fat contains an amount of the fat composition obtainable with the process of claim
 30. 71. A bakery dough containing an amount of a fat composition obtainable with the process of claim
 30. 72. A baked product obtained by baking a dough containing a fat composition obtainable with the process of claim
 30. 73. A confectionery coating fat containing a fat composition obtained with the process of claim
 30. 74. The confectionery coating fat according to claim 73, characterised in that the coating fat contains minimum 15 wt % and maximum 100 wt. % of the fat composition.
 75. The confectionery of claim 74 wherein the coating fat contains a minimum of more than 20 wt % and a maximum of less than 85 wt. % of the fat composition.
 76. The confectionery of claim 75 wherein the coating fat contains a maximum of less than 75 wt. % of the fat composition.
 77. The confectionery coating fat as claimed in claim 74, characterised in that the coating fat comprises an amount of an additional fat having a solid fat content at 20° C. of at least 50%.
 78. The confectionery coating fat as claimed in claim 77, wherein the additional fat has a solid fat content at 20° C. of at least 60%.
 79. The confectionery coating fat as claimed in claim 77, characterised in that the coating fat comprises an amount of an additional fat obtained through hydrogenation, fractionation or interesterification, or a combination thereof, the additional fat being a non-lauric fat.
 80. A confectionery coating or tablet containing the confectionery coating fat claimed in claim
 73. 81. A hard centre confectionery fat, containing the fat composition obtained with the process of claim
 30. 82. The hard centre confectionery fat, as claimed in claim 81, characterised in that the fat contains an amount of trans fatty acids which is less than 25 wt. % with respect to the total amount of glycerides present in the fat.
 83. The hard centre confectionery fat, as claimed in claim 82, wherein the fat contains an amount of trans fatty acids which is less than 15 wt. % with respect to the total amount of glycerides present in the fat.
 84. The hard confectionery fat, as claimed in claim 82, wherein the fat contains an amount of trans fatty acids which is less than 10 wt. % with respect to the total amount of glycerides present in the fat.
 85. A confectionery hard centre containing the confectionery fat according to claim
 81. 